Innocence
by boonadducious
Summary: Final Chapter added: The end of one enemy could be the beginning of another. B/G
1. Chapter 1

Title: Innocence

Author: Boonadducious (Ashley)

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: B/G implied (I tried not to include a ship, but I couldn't help myself)

Spoilers: The Body

Warnings: Some bad words and some major mother-son angst.

Summary: Giles thinks back to the worst moment of his life.

A/N: This is my first Buffyverse story…ever. It was the product of lying sick in bed for two days and plotting out another fiction based around Giles. I was un-betaed, so any mistakes are mine. If any British readers find my characterizations of their home country incorrect, please tell me and I'll make the appropriate changes. I kept the spelling American so Microsoft Word didn't yell at me.

oOoOo

Rupert could not stop grumbling to himself as he walked home. The air was starting to get colder now that the sun had gone away. Soon, it would be cold like this even with the sun, and his favorite coat had been pilfered by those pillocks.

"I would have taken them," he growled, angry at his still immature voice. The cold caused the scrapes on his knees to sting and the cut on his lip to bleed again. "If I could just get a bloody growth spurt already."

It was only when he got within a kilometer of his home that the realization of what his father would do to him came upon his mind. There was no way he would be able to ignore the massive black eye on his face, nor the redness on his knuckles that indicated multiple punches. However, he quickly quashed those fears by turning his attention back to the fight that had been.

"That bastard would have been begging for mercy…i-if he hadn't brought friends…"

Bugger. They _always _had friends. That was a luxury he would never have, and therefore would put him at a disadvantage.

"I'll have to get Anna to teach me how to take on groups," he said to himself, hugging himself tighter now. He shuddered to think what his father would think if he found out Anna had been passing on his fighting techniques to his young son. He had said Anna was a "potential Slayer" – whatever that was – and these lessons were not for him. Of course, this did not stop the headstrong teenager from passing on some pointers to the curious child.

Rupert smiled once he remembered that his father had told him he would be late at work with Grandmother tonight, and Anna would be his babysitter. She would help him find ways to cover his wounds. She always was going out late at night without Father's knowledge and coming back with mysterious scrapes and bruises. She afterwards went to her vanity and emerged having covered the injuries either with make-up or expertly placed clothing before going back to the basement where she slept. He knew that a few threats of a slippery tongue would motivate her to…

Rupert's mouth went dry when he reached the generous flat he called home. The door was open and light was flooding through. He could also see a single shadow making near frantic movements. All his previous thoughts disappeared when his father's near constant lessons about "household precautions" came to him. Number one was to never let strangers in. Number two was if something was amiss, have a cross and stake at the ready. Rupert immediately sifted through his messenger bag and pulled out the large wooden cross Father had given him. The stake he had carried was used to draw pictures in the dirt during one of his many spats of boredom on the play ground, and was accidently left by the trees.

He gripped what he did have tightly and held it out in front of him as he slowly made his way to the door. He could hear sounds inside; that of groaning and mumbled growls. He then saw a foot clad in a red shoe slip into his field of vision.

"Anna!" he shouted, now running up to the door, throwing it open. Inside, he saw the teenager limp like a rag doll in the arms of a woman in a flowery dress. However, Rupert could tell this was not an ordinary woman. She was sucking furiously at Anna's neck, and her face had an enlarged brow and yellow eyes.

"Get back, vampire!" the boy shouted in the largest voice he could muster. He then thrust the cross toward the creature.

In haste, the demon dropped Anna, and looked at Rupert with those cold, yellow eyes. Try as he might, the trembling came, and the boy was helpless to stop it.

"Punkin?" she exclaimed as he face morphed back into its human visage.

Rupert's eyes went wide as saucers. "Mum?"

"Oh, Rupert darling," she said holding out her arms toward the boy and walking toward him.

"Stay back!" Rupert shouted, his entire body shaking and his eyes brimming with unshed tears. He had not seen his mother's face in a year and a half, and he wanted nothing more than to run into her arms. However, a glance at the unmoving body of Anna kept his head somewhat level. The kind, loving woman who had gone missing would have never done such a thing to an innocent girl.

"Sweetheart, do you think a silly cross is going to keep me from embracing my only son after all this time," she then got down on her knees so she was slightly below eye-level of him. She then put a cold hand on his extended arm. "I have missed you so much, my darling."

Rupert was silent, but he felt powerless against the beautiful demon that looked like his mother. The desire to be comforted had never been stronger, and he did not realize how much he missed being held as he did now. The arm she touched lowered, and his grip on the cross loosened.

"That's right, my dear. Come to mummy," She then put his arms around her son and put her cheek to his ear. "Don't worry, Rupert. I'm going to make it so we can be together…forever."

Rupert felt her face change against his ear, and heard the faint growls that always came from a hungry vampire. Sniffing back his tears, the boy took the cross he still held and pressed it against the vampire's chest.

"ARRRRRGHHHHH," she shouted as she fell back on the floor, grasping her smoldering chest. At that, Rupert ran as fast as he could to the kitchen and slammed the door behind him.

"Rupert! My child! How could you?" The cries from the other side of the door caused his heart to involuntarily clench. However, there was no time for his emotions to make a repeat appearance. He immediately darted from the small breakfast table by the window and felt underneath for the small box attached to the underside. He found the latch and undid it, letting stake hidden within clatter to the floor. He then grabbed it as he heard the demon's strong arms crash through the flimsy wood.

"You've been a naughty boy," she uttered, undoing the lock and letting the ruined door open. She gave a toothy grin as she slowly approached the boy. "It looks like you'll need to be punished."

Rupert put down the cross and reached for an innocuous-looking glass of water by the sink. He then threw the water into the approaching demon's eyes.

As the holy water made the vampire scream again, he laid one hard kick to its midsection, packing in it all the strength he could muster. Once she was on the ground, the boy climbed on top of her and he plunged the stake into her heart.

oOoOo

"Anthony?" Mary Giles breathed, her face going pale at the wide open door at their flat.

Her son's heart rate nearly doubled as he bounded up the stairs to the door, nearly tripping over a small messenger back hastily discarded.

"Rupert," he uttered, fearing the worst. Mary ran to meet him, and handed him one of the two stakes she had hidden in her handbag. They walked quietly into the door, their hearts in their throats. No sooner had the light from within hit their faces that the body of the future Slayer caught their eye.

"Anna," they yelled unison. Mary ran to her and felt for a pulse at her wrist, staring at the two puncture marks on her neck.

"She's dead," the older woman managed, trying to hold back her tears.

Anthony only gave himself seconds to grieve before worry for his son drove him to action. He immediately saw the shattered kitchen door in his peripheral vision and ran inside.

"Rupert!" he called out, hoping against hope that he did not find another body. Instead, he found a pile of grey-brown dust at his feet, and the sound of whimpering. He looked to the area underneath the breakfast table and saw the small, trembling form of his son.

The boy was clutching a stake in his hand, and was hugging his knees to his chest. His face was buried behind the two scraped legs, obviously crying.

"Rupert?" Anthony said, almost whispering. He knelt down to the boy's level and decided in that instant to damn all father-son decorum to hell. He reached out and put a hand on his son's elbow, and used his thumb to lightly stroke.

Rupert flinched at first, but once he realized the touch was friendly, he looked up to meet his father's gaze. The boy a rather nasty black eye that was too old to have been obtained by this incident. The older Giles could not bring himself to be angry, though. Based on the evidence, the boy had displayed a great amount of courage in the face of adversity. He must have also been through an awful trauma.

"Mum," he uttered in a cracked voice.

Anthony's eyes went wide. That was all he needed to hear to know what had happened here. It was also all the explanation he needed for how the vampire got into the house to exact her bloody rampage. Either Anna or Rupert had invited her in thinking it was the missing Isabelle.

Although there was a sense of peace at the knowledge of what had become of his beloved, there was a profound ache at the thought of their child – the physical symbol of their love – having to be the one to destroy the demon that took her face.

"Oh, my son," he said as tears prickled his eyes. "I'm so sorry. It should have been me. I should have done it. Not you. You should never have seen her like that."

At this, Rupert dropped his stake and jumped into his father's arms. Anthony threw his arms around the boy and gripped like he would never let go. They both sobbed together as Mary looked on from the doorway.

She dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief, shocked at the sudden display of affection before her. Part of her wanted to be ashamed of her boys' display of emotion, but she held it back. This was needed. It had been needed for a long time.

oOoOo

Several hours later, both Anthony and Rupert were on the couch of the common room, listening to the Workers from the Council investigating the foyer and cleanly disposing of Anna's body. The younger Giles was on his father's lap, just as he had done when he was younger. It was slightly awkward for a boy of Rupert's height to be in the position, but Anthony did not have the heart to shoo him off. The boy still had some grey dust staining him school uniform and clinging to his hair. The event was still quite fresh.

Anthony sighed. He knew it was time. His boy had grown up in the past hour more than he could imagine. No boy should have to go through what this boy went through. Part of Anthony grieved at the loss of what was left of Rupert's innocence. However, he was also proud that his son was finally ready to hear what he had to tell him.

"Father?" Rupert's small voice asked.

"Yes?"

"Does the RAF fight vampires?"

Anthony could feel the tears brimming again. His son's ambitions were still strong within him. Although he knew they were only the innocent dreams of an immature mind, part of him still dreaded telling his son that they would never come true.

"No, Son," he replied. "The military would not know what to do with them."

Rupert simply nodded.

"Son…um…I-I just wanted to tell you that you did the right thing tonight."

Rupert nodded again, but with less force.

"Not every boy of ten would have been able to do what you did. You…you were very brave, Rupert. I am proud to call you my son."

Rupert cuddled closer to his father at that point, and the older Giles put his arms around him once more.

"In fact, I-I think you are now ready for me to t-tell you something very important."

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"So…that was when my father told me about my destiny."

Giles tried to gauge Buffy's reaction to the story he had told her. She was looking at him with tears sliding down her cheeks and eyes as wide as saucers.

"Giles…when I said to tell me your darkest secret…I mean…I told you about stealing money from Dawn's piggy bank…"

Giles let out a laugh and met her gaze.

"Buffy, if we're going to do this – if we're going to be together – you should knew these things about me. Over the years, I have not been very forthcoming about my past. I feel like that should change."

Buffy nodded before the tears got more intense. "I'm so sorry, Giles!" she said before she grabbed her Watcher around his middle. "I thought finding my mother on the couch was bad…but what you had to do…God, there was no way I could have been that brave."

Giles smiled as he returned her embrace. "It's okay, Love."

"No, it's not okay!" the Slayer said, lifting her face up to meet his eyes. "You have been carrying this around since you were ten! Have you talked to anyone about it?"

"I talked to my father for a while, until I started to push him away. I was not terribly happy with my destiny, you see. Getting sent to boarding school at twelve for my studies seemed to drive in the point that I was destined for a life much like his; full of pain and suffering. I could never forgive him for that."

"But…your Grandma?"

"My grandmother was the kind of person who thought you should deal with your own problems. She felt like we should simply move on from our grief; that what happened was a risk my father took when he married my mother."

"That's…kind of mean."

"That point of view is not uncommon in Britain, particularly within the Watcher's Council."

"But that still doesn't make it right."

Giles nodded as he held his Slayer closer. "I know."

"So…you never talked about it with anyone? Jenny? Olivia? Ethan?"

"You're the first person I have told, Buffy," he whispered into her ear.

Buffy nodded, a fresh wave of tears coming to her. "I don't know what I would do if I didn't have you guys. I would…I would die if I had to keep it all inside."

"Keep in mind, Buffy, you have not been terribly forthcoming in the past yourself."

"Yeah, I kept my secrets, but in the grand scheme of things, I'm more open than a lot of girls my age. Telling Willow and Xander and you everything…it kept me going."

"I guess it was just me you were reluctant to share her feelings with."

Buffy wanted to reply and tell him that was not true, but she could not. "Sorry," she said.

"It's alright, dearest," he said, kissing her temple.

After a few minutes of lying in each other's arms, Giles made a modest attempt to push the girl off him.

"I need to show you something," he said. When Buffy let him up, he ran upstairs to his loft, and returned with an old shoe box. He placed it on the coffee table in front of his Slayer and carefully removed the lid. Inside was a group of letters held together with a rubber band, a tiny piece of lined paper that was yellowed with age and folded in half, and a tiny bottle of grey dust kept closed with a cork. Buffy took the bottle between her thumb and forefinger and examined it.

"Is this…?"

"That is all that I have left of my mother. I have always meant to bury it in a proper grave but…I never had the heart to."

Buffy put a hand on his knee as she replaced the bottle and picked up the note.

_Hello, Sweetheart. _

_I realize it is hard starting a new school, but I know you will do great. You are a wonderful son and do not ever forget it. I love you._

_-Mum_

"That was a note I found in my bag on my first day at the only primary school that would take me after getting kicked out of the last one."

Buffy could not help but smile. "This is a lot like the note my mom wrote me on my first day at Sunnydale High," she said, relishing in the good memories.

Giles put a hand on her back and lightly stroked. "The day she wrote that note was also the day she disappeared," he admitted sadly.

Buffy closed her eyes, trying to hold back another onslaught of tears. She folded the note once more and replaced it. "What are these?" she asked, touching her fingertips to the letters.

"Those are letters to my mother," Giles replied. "I wrote them every day on her birthday, not having anywhere to send them. I poured my heart out to her ghost…hoping she would somehow read them."

Buffy took the letters and placed him in her lap, drawing her hands over the nearly illegible scrawl of the left-handed ten year old that was Giles. The envelope was yellow, and the paper was stiff, but Giles could remember stuffing the paper into it as if it was yesterday.

"Shall we read them together?" Giles asked Buffy. She looked up at him and frowned before reaching up to his face and wiping away a tear he did not know he had shed..

"I would love to, Rupert," Buffy replied as she slipped the first letter out of the rubber band.

END

oOoOo

AN: The RAF is the Royal Air Force, in case anyone was wondering.

Also, please review! They make my obsession worthwhile.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Okay, so I decided to continue the story thanks to a lovely plot bunny implanting itself in my brain. This will be the first of about three or four new chapters. The last one will be having some B/G romance, so if that wigs you out, this might not be for you.

Chapter 1

"980, 990, 1000." Ethan said with a smile as he slapped the last of the money onto the table. "Where's the other 3?"

"It will come to you once the job is finished," the deep voice said over speaker phone.

"Will it come through your lovely goon here?" Ethan asked while gesturing to the man who had brought him the current payment. He had to have been at least 6'5" with broad shoulders and a long black coat.

"Hopefully I will be able to offer it in person. I want to see the results of your work. You will get your money, Rayne."

"Why do I suspect you are not as reputable as you advertise?"

"If you are so wary of me, why did you agree to the job?"

Ethan sighed. "A part of me is curious. Plus, ever since those tin soldiers got bored of me, I've been in need of a project."

The voice let out a laugh.

"So are you sure of this date, then?" Ethan asked.

"Yes," the voice replied. "November 21, 1964 at 20:24 London time."

"Right," the sorcerer replied. "How long do you want it to last?"

"As long as you want it to," the voice said, sounding quite happy. "It does not matter to me. In 48 hours, the Slayer should be dead, and I will be satisfied."

oOoOo

Buffy smoothed the wrinkles out of her black dress for what felt like the hundredth time. She knew she needed to learn how to iron formal wear, but she had been putting it off ever since her mother died.

_She was always so good at those things. _

Buffy sighed and willed the memories of her mother to flow out with the carbon dioxide. This was supposed to be a happy night. Giles said he wanted this night to be special. It was the two month anniversary of the night they first kissed. Buffy was still mad at herself it was not two days earlier, which was when Giles initially confessed his feelings to her, but she could not change the past. This time was for the here and now, and Buffy had been secretly hoping this would be the night they would finally consummate their relationship. Giles had promised a special night at the finest restaurant in Sunnydale, and she could not help but wonder what his plans were.

When Buffy finally reached the Spanish themed complex, she kicked off her athletic sandals and slipped on the heels that had been dangling from her fingers.

_I really need to learn to drive, _she silently grumbled.

When she finally reached the front door, something struck her as off. She felt the familiar tingling in her extremities that signaled the nearby presence of magic. She gulped and immediately began to worry. She placed her ear to the door and heard uneven breathing.

"Giles?" she called. She tried the knob and found it unlocked. _I have got to yell at him about this_, Buffy thought.

When she opened the door, she initially did not see anything, but then she saw movement below Giles' desk. She slowly walked toward it and noticed there was a pile of weapons outside Giles' open weapons chest. Buffy furrowed her brow at the sight, but ignored it once she got a view of what was under the desk.

"Giles?" she said, nearly frantic. Her Watcher was in a white undershirt and grey sweatpants, and was missing his glasses. He was sitting with his knees to his chest and staring at a point on the floor. In his hand, he held a stake.

Buffy knelt beside him and reached a tentative hand out to him. The slight touch on his knee caused a strong reaction in which he violently flinched, causing his head to hit the underside of the desk before he retreated further into himself.

Buffy pulled her hand back immediately. She decided to try a more subtle approach.

"Giles?" she repeated softly. "It's Buffy. A-are you okay?" Buffy immediately regretted the question. Of course he wasn't okay.

She breathed a sigh of relief when Giles slowly lifted his face and focused his red-rimmed eyes at her. He began to breathe harder when he saw her, but at least he was making eye contact.

"Giles, what happ…"

"Who are you?" Giles asked angrily as his lip trembled. "And why the fuck do you keep calling me Giles? W-what kind of p-pillock calls someone by their last name?"

Buffy pulled back as if she had been burned. She tried not to let the tone get to her since Giles obviously did not know who she was, but it was difficult not to remember the last time Giles had yelled at her – when he had gone after Angelus.

"Gi…Rupert…"

"How the hell do you know my name?" He asked, with less venom. "Do you work with father? Where is he? He said mother was dead. Why didn't he tell me what happened?"

Buffy opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She could feel something nagging the back of her mind, something Giles had recently told her.

"Rupert," she said softly. "M-my name is Buffy."

"You said that already," he spit out. "What kind of a name is Buffy? It sounds like a name for a poodle."

Buffy could not help but smile. She had been told this on more than one occasion. However, she could not help but draw on her modest knowledge of psychology and interpret Giles was trying to be tougher than he actually was in order to cover up his fear. It was a defense mechanism she used often even today, but she used it plenty when she was a kid. She even pretended to laugh once when her father had spanked her. However, her current attempts to hide her fear were much more subtle as an adult, and when she could tell Giles was doing the same, he was subtle as well. He was using a classic juvenile defense mechanism, and Buffy nearly kicked herself for not realizing this earlier.

"Rupert, how old are you?"

"That's none of your fucking business."

Buffy bit her cheek to stop herself from laughing. Hearing those words come from Giles' mouth was so strange she could not think of another reaction.

"Okay, I'll have to guess," she said, trying another strategy. "You sound about…six? Seven?"

Giles grunted "For your information, I'm ten and a half."

Buffy let out a groan and buried her face in her hands. Of course. It all made sense now. The stake. The shivering. The crying. Giles had told her this story 3 weeks ago. He was ten years old when he staked the vampire who wore his mother's face, and somehow her 47 year old Watcher's mind had been brought back to the moment after that happened.

Buffy took a deep breath and tried not to show her fear or confusion in front of him. This may have looked like her Giles, but on the inside, he was a scared little boy who had just gone through a traumatic and life-changing experience. However, she did not know the first thing about children, especially those as difficult as Giles appeared to be. She said the first thing that came to her mind.

"Rupert, do you notice something different about yourself?"

The boy who would be her Watcher gulped. "I-I don't kn-know what the hell y-you're talking about. Where's father? Where's…" At that moment, he appeared to have a revelation. He gulped and placed his fingers to his throat, and then quickly held his hand in front of him. When both hands were out in front of him, he had a look of wonder and fear at the sight. He turned his left hand to gaze at the onyx ring on his pinkie finger.

"M-my father's ring," he stammered. His gaze wandered around the rest of his body and appeared to become more frightened as it went. He stretched out his legs in front of him and appeared shocked at the length of them.

Buffy jumped out of the way as he darted out from under the desk. He was still on the floor as he looked frantically at his surroundings.

"W-where am I?"

"This is your house," Buffy said softly before pulling herself to her feet. She was at a loss of what to do as the boy discovered what had changed about his life. She felt helpless as she watched the scene unfold.

Giles pulled himself to his feet and looked down at the floor as if it would swallow him whole at any second. He squinted and put his fingers to his temples.

"D-do you need your glasses?" Buffy asked once she noticed them lying discarded on the desk.

"I don't have any bloody glasses!" He shouted. It was at that moment he noticed the open door to the bathroom. He stumbled toward it, clearly still awkward on his feet.

"Oh…oh no," Giles groaned once he saw himself in the mirror. From her spot from the door, Buffy saw him back away from the sight and slide down the opposite wall. She ran to the bathroom door to see tears streaming down his face. "W-what's happened t-to me? Did mum do this to…" He stopped once he noticed Buffy's presence. He looked at her with a dangerous gaze. "Did you do this to me, y-you little…."

"I didn't do this, Giles. I swear!" Buffy said, now feeling tears pricking in her own eyes. "I-I don't know what happened. I'm so sorry. I know you've been through a lot."

Giles was visibly shaking. He appeared to try and hold back the tears, but he was failing miserably. He slid away from her until he hit the bathtub. At that moment, he began to cry, and his sobs soon became wails.

"Oh God," Buffy said, wiping away her own tears. She ran over to him and attempted to grab his shoulders.

"Don't touch me!" he shouted, trying to pull away.

Buffy chided herself for being so forceful. "It's okay, Rupert. I'm not going to hurt you. We'll figure this out, I promise."

He looked up at her and he looked like he was going to give her another tongue lashing, but something changed in his eyes. He appeared to see something in her that calmed him. He stopped crying for the time being, even though tears still flowed. Buffy's heart filled with hope.

"We…we know each other?"

Buffy was disappointed he had not snapped out of whatever this was, but she figured this was as good as she would get. "Yes. We do. We love each other very much."

Giles gulped. "Are…who are you?"

"I'm your Slayer," Buffy said. Giles' eyes went wide and he leaned back slightly. "You're my Watcher. You've been my Watcher for more than four years."

Giles gulped. "I-I'm a Watcher." He looked away from her, and began to talk to himself. "Why would I become a Watcher? Did my father make me do this?"

"It was your destiny," Buffy said. "Just like it was my destiny to be the Slayer."

Giles looked at her again. "I don't understand."

Buffy let out a laugh. "I'm not sure I do either. I'm actually a little surprised I'm giving you the speech instead of you giving it to me."

Giles said nothing. He appeared to be taking this information in, but from the look on his eyes, he was devastated. Buffy tried to put herself in his situation. She imagined if she were ten and looked at her life now, with her parents being divorced, her mother dead, her dad MIA, her job guaranteeing an early death, and the love of her life being as old as her father. She knew she would not be as composed. From Giles' story, she surmised he had enough exposure to the life of a Watcher to know what perils and heartache it entailed.

"You said w-we love each other," Giles stammered after a long pause. "I believe you. Why?"

Buffy smiled. "Maybe some part of you feels the bond we share."

Giles nodded. "I-It's not randy thing, is it? Because that would be strange."

Buffy tried to hold back her blush. She decided to tell a white lie so not to frighten the boy further. "No, it's not."

"You're looking awfully hot for just a casual visit."

Buffy laughed, but she did not respond. She could tell he was beginning to lose his composure again. She again placed a hand on his shoulder, but this time he did not pull away. He leaned into the touch and closed his eyes.

"I want my mum," he choked out before he began to cry into his hands.

Buffy became brave and threw her arms around him. "I know, sweetheart," she cooed, knowing exactly how he felt. "I know."


	3. Chapter 3

"It's good to meet you, Lindsey," Ethan said as he held out his hand to shake. He was puzzled when the lawyer offered his left hand as opposed to his right.

"Sorry, I'm a lefty," Lindsey said as he held up his prosthetic hand.

"Right, of course," the sorcerer said, blushing.

"So, I take it the spell was successful?"

"Yes, it was," Ethan said, grinning with pride. "The moment Ripper touched the cursed stake, it was all downhill."

"Perfect," Lindsey said as his eyes wandered around the dingy motel room.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"I'm fine, thanks," the lawyer replied with a far off look.

Ethan sighed. He could feel the awkwardness as if it were a physical entity. "So, since you're here, do you mind telling me why you want to the Slayer dead, and how Rupert's trip down memory lane brings that about?"

Lindsey smiled. "I thought it would be obvious why Wolfram and Hart want the Slayer dead."

"Well, it's a little useless, isn't it? One Slayer dies, and another is called."

"The Slayer line ends with Buffy," the lawyer replied. "The only holder of the Slayer line is currently in jail, so once Buffy dies, there will be no free Slayer."

Ethan nodded, but something felt off about the description. "There's another reason, isn't there?"

Lindsey's face hardened as he glided his fingers across the modest nightstand. "I want revenge on someone who is deeply in love with the Slayer."

Ethan laughed. "Jeeze, I guess there is no better way to punish Rupert than to make him relive his trauma…"

"It's not him," Lindsey interrupted. "The reason I had you incapacitate the Watcher is because our Senior Partners brought us someone who has unfinished business with him. Since said business will inevitably lead to the Slayer's death, we decided to kill two birds with one stone. Personally, I don't give a rat's ass about what happens to the Watcher, as long as Buffy ends up dead, and painfully so."

"It still seems like a roundabout way to get to her. You seem like the type of bloke who would want to do the deed himself."

Lindsey scoffed. "That's the Slayer MO – being killed by a being from hell she has never seen before." Lindsey smirked before saying, "What a wonderful change it would be to see her killed by the one person she loves most."

Ethan cleared his throat. "You guys have been doing this a while, haven't you?"

Lindsey smiled. "Yes we have."

oOoOo

"How are you feeling?" Buffy asked Giles after almost fifteen minutes of sitting on the bathroom floor in silence. They had been crying together for much longer, but they had finally become exhausted and pulled apart. Giles stretched out his legs and flexed his fingers. He seemed to be exploring his older self and determining what he could and could not do.

"My head hurts, and I'm thirsty," he replied. He sounded like his nose was stopped up, which was expected considering his earlier display of emotion.

"Do you want me to get you some water?"

He nodded, and Buffy immediately got up to fetch a cup from his kitchen.

"Buffy," he called after she started running the tap.

"Yeah?" she called back.

"Could you fetch me some ginger ale instead?"

"Um, I don't think you have any."

"Real ale?"

Buffy laughed. "I think you're a little too young for that."

"I'm old now. I can have ale."

"Nice try. You're having water." Once Buffy stepped back in the bathroom, she said, "And you're not old. Far from it."

"My aching joints beg to differ."

Buffy gave the water to Giles and he sipped it slowly. She knew he would have put up more of a fight had he not been so tired and scared, which was something Buffy was worried about. She had no idea how to control the rebellious pre-pubescent version of her Watcher.

_Please God let this be temporary,_ Buffy thought.

"So," Giles said softly after he had finished half his glass. "I'm in America?"

"Yeah. California."

"Where the Beach Boys are from?"

Buffy laughed again. "Yup. You like the Beach Boys?"

Giles nodded. "They're alright. I don't like them as much as The Byrds, but they're pretty good."

"Do you like The Beatles?"

Giles guffawed. "Who _doesn't _like The Beatles? If you don't like the Beatles, you have no taste."

Buffy could not help but laugh.

"And…what year is it?"

"2001."

Giles furrowed his brow. "Really? The apartment doesn't look much different than my flat at home."

"Yeah, you're not one for modern technology."

"Seriously?" Giles rolled his eyes. "I sound like a bit of a loser."

Buffy's face fell. She was embarrassed she would have said the same thing back in high school. She was thankful she knew better now.

"You're not a loser," Buffy said seriously. "You're anything but a loser."

"You're just saying that because you have to," Giles growled. "You're my Slayer."

"No, Giles. I mean it." Buffy had leaned forward and attempted to look the man in the eye in order to drive home her point. "You have saved my life more times than I can count. You are selfless and beautiful and you keep me safe." She stopped herself from going further for fear of revealing too much to the inquisitive youngster. "I could never have saved the world as many times as I have without you."

Giles' eyes went wide. "You've saved the world? I thought Slayers only killed vampires."

"I wish," Buffy said while rolling her eyes. "Vampires are easy. Apocalypses are way trickier."

"They should call you Buffy the World Saver instead. Vampire Slayer is a tad limiting."

"I guess," Buffy said, shrugging. "I've never really thought about it before."

"So…I've helped you save the world?"

"Oh yeah. Lots of times."

"I'm ten, not five. You're lying."

"I'm not lying," Buffy replied, indignant. "You have helped me save the world. You always know exactly what to do in every situation. You…you know three languages."

"Bloody wonderful," Giles groaned. "If the difference between total annihilation and continued existence is translating the New Testament into French, I'm you're boy."

Buffy was eager to continue her admonishment of him, but she was distracted by him flexing his left hand and finding some difficulty. "What's wrong?"

"My hand looks odd, and it's sore. Did I drop a book on it or something?"

Buffy became sad at the question. Her face fell enough that Giles noticed.

"Did you do it to me?"

Buffy shook her head. "Not directly, but I might as well have."

Giles appeared to be studying her. "What happened?"

"Y-you were tortured…b-by a vampire. You knew something he needed to know."

"O-oh," Giles said. His expression was unreadable. He gave a small smirk, but she could not tell if he was proud of himself, or smiling at the ridiculousness of it all. "Did I talk?"

"It doesn't matter," Buffy answered after a pause.

Giles groaned. "I talked! Jesus. Are you sure I'm not a loser?"

"Giles, it wasn't like that. He used magic on you, but only after you wouldn't talk for hours."

"Hours? How many hours?"

"I don't know. Hours."

"There's a difference between two and ten."

Buffy groaned. "God, Giles. You're impossible."

"Why do you call me Giles, anyway?" he asked. "You say you love me so much, but you don't use my first name. Granted it's a nancy-boy name, but still…"

"I-I don't know."

"You don't know much do you?"

"Giles, for God's sakes, I don't know. You've just always been Giles to me."

As maddening as this boy was, Buffy was impressed by his sharp wit. Even as a child, Giles was very intelligent. He looked to be channeling it into unhealthy mediums, but he was still smart. If Buffy did not know better, she would have told him of what would happen to him in the future and tell him to start listening to authority now.

"It's just that…Mr. Giles is my father," Giles sighed. "I don't know if I want to be called by that name."

Buffy sighed and took in the hurt and anger in the man's eyes. There was a clear resentment there. The latter part of his story where Rupert and Anthony Giles embraced had not happened yet, and the boy still was resentful over things left unsaid.

"Your father loves you, Rupert."

Giles let out a sad laugh. "Right. Like you would know. Did you ever meet him?"

"No, but…"

"Is he even still alive?"

"I-I think so. From what you said…you never mentioned him dying."

Giles squinted his eyes at her. "I've talked about him?"

Buffy nodded.

Giles then looked away from her and stared at the same spot on the floor he had looked at several times during their time in the bathroom. "I told you about what happened? With my mother?"

Buffy nodded again.

"Was he…was my father…did I tell you if he was proud of me?"

The sadness in his voice cut Buffy deep. She was astounded at how this boy could be hiding behind thick walls of sarcasm one minute and then being completely vulnerable the next. It was not until later he learned to repress his emotions completely.

"Y-yes, he did. He was very proud of you."

Giles looked at her and appeared to be gauging if she was telling the truth. He sighed before looking away again. He appeared to have no reaction to the news. He did not seem to believe her, but he made no indication to confirm that.

"I'm tired," he said after a couple minutes. "Where's the bedroom?"

"Up the stairs. It's a loft."

Giles nodded and used the bathtub as leverage to push himself upward. He still looked unsure on his feet, but looked like he was walking better than he had when he stepped into the bathroom.

Buffy followed close behind him as he climbed up the stairs. She was happy he did not protest with her hovering. In fact, he seemed to like the close proximity of her, something Giles was averted to before they had become involved. Buffy had figured it was his nervousness over her closeness due to their mutual attraction. However, he had told her he generally did not like to be touched.

She watched from the top of the stairs as he hesitantly pulled back the sheets on his bed. He seemed extra careful with his own possessions, as he would be if they belonged to a stranger.

"Do you need anything before bed? Some more water? A snack?"

He appeared to stop and think for a second before saying, "Y-you said I h-had glasses?"

"Yeah."

"Um…could you get them for me? My head is starting to hurt."

Buffy trotted down the stairs to do just that. When she returned, Giles was underneath the covers flat on his back and staring at the ceiling. The covers reached the middle of his chest and his arms were exposed. His gaze was fixed on the stark black mark on the inside of his left forearm.

"Did I ever tell you when I got this tattoo?" he said with a bit of mirth in his voice. "It's cool, but I have no clue what it means."

Buffy smiled sadly before walking over to hand him his glasses. "Don't you think I've told you enough for one night?" she said, hoping to avoid telling him about Eyghon.

He seemed to forget the question once he saw the brass framed spectacles in her hand. He took them from her and slipped them on his face. "Damn," he sighed. "I really do need them."

"Well, sometimes you walk around without them. It's not like it's a requirement."

"It might make this bloody headache go away," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

Buffy wanted to correct him and say vision headaches were in the front, but she stopped herself when she realized the implications of what he was saying. He had never complained of headaches before, but he had gotten knocked out so many times, it was foolish to think there would not be side effects. It was just like Giles to hide something like this from her, and she made a mental note to talk to him about it when he came back.

Giles took the glasses back off and placed them on the nightstand. "I feel like I haven't slept in a week."

"Well…you should get some sleep then," Buffy said distractedly before turning away.

"Wait," he said to her. Buffy turned to see him with a pleading look in his eyes. "C-could you…um…stay with me tonight. I-I don't want to be alone."

Buffy sighed. "I don't think I do, either," she said. She went to the walk-in closet and stepped inside. She came out with one of Giles' shirts on as well as a pair of shorts. She had borrowed his clothes before after particularly messy patrols, so she knew he would not mind. She then climbed into bed next to the boy trapped in her Watcher's body and let him place his head in the crook of her neck. She hugged him close to her in a maternal manner and listened to his breathing even as he quickly fell asleep.

When she could hear his soft snoring, she let her mind wander. She would have to talk to Willow in the morning about what kind of spell this could be, and how it could be reversed. As she thought about it, her mind wandered to the possibility this might not be magical. Giles had hidden headaches from her, what if he had been hiding deep psychological pain? What if telling her about his mother was too much and he somehow reverted back to his childhood? Maybe the pain she inflicted upon her Watcher had finally caught up with him.

She let a stray tear fall down her cheek, and she panicked slightly when she felt the form below her snuggle closer.

"Mummy, why are you crying?" he mumbled in his sleeping state. His innocent words made her want to cry harder, but she held herself back. Right now, he needed someone strong. Someone who loved him.

"Go to sleep, honey," Buffy whispered to him. "It's alright."

"Okay," he said softly before snuggling even closer.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I noticed what might be seen as a continuity error in the last chapter. In the first chapter, Giles was shown to not know what a Slayer was, but then in the last chapter, he knows perfectly well what a Slayer is. I never intended for Giles to not know what a Slayer was at ten. Notice how Slayer is capitalized in the boy's point of view; it is simply a potential in which he's not sure about. That being said, I might go back and change it because it's going to bug me that I did not make it clear.

Also, this is the last chapter in this particular story, but I leave it rather open-ended, so stay tuned.

Chapter 3

A knock on the door startled both of them out of their slumber. Giles began to shake when he saw the time.

"Wh-who would be calling this late?"

"I don't know, but I'll get it. You stay here, okay?"

"Y-you're not leaving me, are you?"

The pleading in his voice made Buffy want to ignore whoever was at the door and continue to hold the child as tight as she could. However, the knock returned, and louder this time.

"I have to see who it is. It might be Xander or Willow."

"Who?"

"You'll find out," Buffy said with a laugh. She heard an audible whimper when they separated, but Buffy did her best to ignore it. Buffy trotted down the stairs as she heard a louder knock this time. Her consternation grew in that she was quite sure Xander or Willow have never been this impatient, even when they needed Giles urgently. Once Buffy got down the stairs, she felt a familiar cramp in her abdomen which indicated a vampire nearby.

_Oh crap, _Buffy thought. Of course the timing was perfect, but then again so was the monster. Vampires could not come in unless they were invited, and one knocking on the door indicated an amateur. This should be an easy slay and then she could return to comfort Giles.

Once she got within a few yards of the door the door was suddenly blown off its hinges and flew straight into Buffy.

"Buffy!" She heard Giles shout from the loft. She had hit the couch, and the heavy door had given her a good blow to the head and crushed her foot. Thankfully, her arms were unharmed, so she pushed the door off her to face the intruder.

"So, this is the Slayer," said a feminine voice from the doorway. Buffy looked up through the haze likely caused by a concussion. She saw a woman with long black hair which cascaded over her chest. She was wearing a simple sundress and was barefoot. She walked into the house without an invitation, so Buffy questioned if she was, in fact, a vampire. However, the cramp in her stomach could not be ignored, and this person clearly had magic on her side. Vampires with magical inclinations had been known to subvert the invitation rite, but thankfully not much else. She could be killed just like any other vampire.

"Frankly, I expected more from you," she said in a somewhat familiar English accent. "Usually those who are so well indoctrinated put up more of a fight."

Buffy glanced over to the still exposed pile of weapons by the stairs, and wondered how fast she could get over to them with a broken leg.

"Stay away from her!" Giles shouted while he was running down the stairs. Buffy looked up to see him holding one of the aforementioned weapons in his hand and shaking like a leaf.

The vampire turned to face Giles, and let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, sweetheart. The spell worked. Thank God."

"Stay back," he shouted, still brandishing the stake. "H-how d-did you…I-I k-killed you."

Buffy's eyes went wide. This vampire was Giles' mother? This was impossible. It was beyond impossible. Just when she thought Giles' pain threshold had reached its limit, something else came to test it.

"You were lied to, son. Whoever told you vampires cease to exist after they were dusted? Your father? The Watcher's Council? Fools. That is why I had a spell cast on you so you could be back the way you were; so that all the pesky Watcher training would stop corrupting your brain."

"G-Giles! Don't listen to her! She's not…"

"Silence," the vampire said to Buffy. Suddenly, the only thing coming out of her mouth was pained gasps. He voice now refused to make sounds, and pure panic raced through her.

"Don't!" Giles shouted when he saw what had happened to Buffy.

"Don't what? Keep me from finally taking my son home? Do you know why I left, Rupert? Did you hear the quarrel your father and I had before I left?"

"Yes," Giles admitted, lowering his weapon. "Y-you said you didn't want m-me to have to fight dark things."

"Yes, at the time I was looking out for your interests, but now I know these forces are not truly dark. I am not inhabited by a demon, but rather have been given the gift of immortality. I have been given a second chance for us to be a family. Oh Rupert, how I wanted to take you with me when I left, but I couldn't. The Watcher's Council is quite powerful, and it would have been a lost cause."

Giles snorted. "If you really loved me, you would not have cared."

"Why do you think I came back for you?"

"Shut up!" Giles shouted before raising the weapon again. "Y-you killed Anna. You hurt Buffy. You're evil."

"Don't be concerned with the affairs of Slayers," the vampire said as she shot a disdained glance toward Buffy. The Slayer could not think of anyone she hated more in this moment than this creature. She was now more than determined to send her back to the ground where she belonged. However, Buffy had no stakes or other defenses, and getting to them would mean pulling herself along the floor around Giles and his mother without being noticed.

"Slayers have been killing our kind. I am in the business of protection."

"B-Buffy's a hero. She has saved the world."

The vampire laughed. "Is that what she told you, eh? Don't you see, Rupert? It's all lies. They want you to participate in the Watcher's Council by feeding you lines about demons and destiny. They have no idea what they are talking about and only want to add you to their list of martyrs."

"B-but you're going to kill me."

"Oh son, I'd never kill you. I have been allowed to come back to you so you could be given a second chance to make the right decision." Giles' mother slowly approached him as he backed away as much as he could muster. "You're not going to kill me this time, Darling. In fact, you will allow me to give you the gift of immortality? It is not a curse as you have been taught."

"I don't believe you," Giles whimpered. Buffy became alarmed that the courage he had displayed as a boy was now waning. Buffy could only surmise over thirty years of longing for the touch of his mother was casting a shadow of Giles' younger self, and was leading him to question his decisions.

The Slayer turned to her ankle and tried an examination of if it needed to be set or not. When she saw no immediate danger of her foot healing deformed, she grabbed the couch so she could leverage herself upward.

"Don't even think about it, Slayer," the vampire called. Instantaneously, a ball of energy shot out of her palm and Buffy felt like a sledgehammer had hit her in the chest. She fell to the ground and struggled to catch her breath.

"Giles," she rasped, figuring she was beginning to get her voice back.

Giles looked at her with frightened eyes. His stake was already at his side, but his trepidation had never been higher.

"Don't have any compassion for her. She's simply upset you will not love her back."

Giles furrowed his brow. "But…but she said…"

"More lies. Did she tell you about your hands and how she left you to be tortured? Did she tell you about getting someone you loved killed? Did she tell you about the miserable hours she spent worrying about you when she ran away without even saying goodbye?"

Giles looked toward Buffy who had by now managed to open her eyes. Buffy could feel her voice was now functional, but could not bring herself to speak due to still being breathless. She silently pleaded with Giles to be brave once again and see this demon for what it really was.

"Son, I know you are scared, but when you become immortal, all that fear and doubt goes away to make room for strength you never thought you could have. All those boys on the school yard? They would cower in your presence. You would no longer be their punching bag. You would be their Master."

Giles gulped. She was now close enough to run a finger down his cheekbone and down his neck. She brought it to rest on his shoulder in an almost sensual manner. Buffy felt herself having to gulp down bile as she took in the sight. The disgust was replaced with terror as she saw the female vampire sink her teeth into Giles' neck. He let out a short scream of pain before the thrall hit him and he closed his eyes

Buffy's mind had to act fast. She could hear the greedy sucking as the vampire stole Giles' lifeblood from him. The Slayer quickly used her arms to drag herself within arm's reach of the vampire and give one swift karate chop to her leg. The following scream of agony signaled to her the move did its job. Both involved parties sunk to the ground. Giles' mother was clutching her leg in pain and Buffy used the opportunity to pull Giles' limp form to her breast.

"Giles," she frantically whispered. The clotting mechanisms in the vampire's saliva were doing their jobs and the bite mark in Giles' neck had already stopped bleeding. However, his eyes were still closed and his form still limp.

"You meddlesome, stupid girl!" The vampire cried once she pulled herself upright using the nearby banister.

Buffy barely heard her as Giles' breathing quickened and his eyes opened. He appeared to calm once he saw whose face was over him.

"Buffy," he said with relief. "I-I'm not a vampire, am I?"

Buffy laughed. "No, you're not." He put a weak arm around her neck and held her close as if to hug her. The hug was somewhat awkward, and the emotion behind it was still the same.

"How could you?" The vampire screeched. "Rupert, you're the love of my life. How could you choose that…Slayer over me?"

Giles features hardened as he untangled himself from Buffy and pulled himself upright to face the woman before him, whose features had now shifted to the demonic visage.

"This Slayer has showed me more love in the past hour than you ever have." Giles growled. "You were loving when your carcass inhabited my mother, but that's not who you are anymore. You're a demon, and one who would not know love if it slapped you in the bloody face. I knew it the moment you touched me. It was cold and dead, and it reminded me my mother is never coming back. At first I was angry and sad I staked you. Now I could not be happier."

It took a minute for the vampire to take what the boy had said in, but once she did, she let out an ear-piercing scream which caused a nearby mirror to shatter. Buffy flinched and started to pull herself upward, but a hand to his chest stopped her.

"I've got this," he said before giving her a quick kiss on the lips. Buffy's eyes widened and he smiled at her reaction. "You're a sorry liar."

Giles got up to his feet just as the vampire began stretched out her arms and caused all of the wood in the flat to turn to sawdust. The crashing sound of collapsing books and collectables and plates barely registered with Giles as he held up a hand and shouted, "Back!"

The vampire flew backward and hit the wall with a loud cry.

"Apparently I have magic, too," he said smirking. He then turned to Buffy and said, "Why didn't you tell me that part? It could have been useful."

Buffy's brow furrowed and she gulped. "I…I know you did some magic when you were younger but…I didn't know you could do…that. H-how are you using it?"

Giles shrugged. "Instinct, I guess." When the vampire began to pull herself up again, he let out another pocket of energy and pushed her to the ground again.

Buffy audibly gulped. From what Giles had told her about his past, it sounded like he had dabbled in magic as a way to have sex or get high. She had no idea it was like this. She had no idea he was so powerful. He still was powerful. The power was stark enough that a foreign body could not only sense it, but know how to use it. Why had Giles not told her? Why had he not used his power to help her fight evil?

"Fool," the vampire cackled, startling Buffy out of her thoughts. "Of course you have magic. It's in my family's blood. Anna did not need to invite me in that night. I invited myself. Vampires as powerful as me do not need to abide by such archaic rules."

"If you're trying to convince me to become a vampire, I'm not interested. I don't want to die."

"So you fancy living your teenage years in a middle-aged man's body? Your life's been taken away, boy. You are now chained to this putrid girl for the rest of your life. Even after she dies you will be thinking of her. She will be on your heart constantly. You have been given a second chance to be free. Will you take it?"

Giles stood resolute for a breath before turning to look at a still crippled Buffy. "There are worse places to be." He said before lifting his arms and closing his eyes. He turned again toward the vampire and muttered an inaudible incantation before blue energy shot out of his hands and engulfed her. A blood-curling scream lasted less than a second before the light faded and the ashes of the dead demon laid on the floor. Buffy felt jarred by all of these events happening in the span of a minute, but she recovered once she saw Giles collapse to the floor.

"Rupert!" Buffy cried before crawling over to her lover. She turned him so he was lying on his back. He had a significant nosebleed and so Buffy tore off a piece of her shirt to put against his nose. She titled his head back to allow for breathing and for the blood to stop.

"Buffy?" Giles mumbled around the cloth. Something in the voice caused some hope to rise in her chest. The tone and timbre was similar to that of her Giles, but she could not hope for fear of disappointment. She noticed the blood had stopped flowing and she propped him up on the couch. She coughed and realized they were sitting in the pill of sawdust that used to be Giles' desk.

"God, it's bloody impossible to breathe," Giles growled. He tried to open his eyes, but they kicked up the remains of the wood whenever they moved, and it made the air thick with pollutants.

"C'mon, let's go to the bathroom and get cleaned up," Buffy managed. She found she had to help the still weak Giles on to his feet, but he appeared to be regaining energy quickly. She almost forgot she could not support her own weight and collapsed once she stepped on her broken foot. Giles caught his balance and did not join her.

"That was immensely stupid," Giles chided, his voice full of concern. He took her foot in his gentles fingers and examined it. "It does not look like it needs to be set, but we should get you to the ER to be sure. I don't know how Slayer healing works with broken bones, but…" Giles stopped when he noticed Buffy looking at him with a shocked expression.

"I-is that you, Giles? Are you back?"

Giles appeared confused for a minute, but then let out an embarrassed smile. "I suppose I am, and it appears my 'Watcher mode' is more automatic than I thought."

Buffy's heart surged with joy, but she could not allow it to take over. She had to be sure.

"What's my sister's name and who's after her?"

Giles laughed. "_Glory_ is after _Dawn_ because _Dawn _is actually a mystical Key given to you by a band of monks to protect."

Buffy gave a long sigh. "Thank God," she cried before leaning forward and throwing her arms around the Watcher.

"Buffy….ow."

"Oh, sorry," Buffy said, trying to hold back tears. Even though he had only been a child for a few hours, it had felt like an eternity. "D-do you remember what happened?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Giles said, his face falling. "I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

"Oh God, don't apologize. It wasn't your fault. It was that crazy mother of yours. Do you have any idea how she can come back?"

Giles' face fell further. Buffy almost regretted the question, but she knew treating Giles with kid gloves would not help matters, so she resisted the temptation to do so.

"It is not unheard of – vampires being resurrected that is. However, I have no idea why it would happen with her."

"Would it have given her powers?"

Giles sighed. "No. She had those before."

Buffy furrowed her brow. "You never told me that."

Giles hesitated, but soon gave in to the guilt so he could tell her more about his past. "I was not planning on keeping it from you forever, but I was not ready to tell you."

Now it was Buffy's turn to feel guilty. "Y-you don't have to tell me now. I'm sorry if I'm pushing…"

"You're not pushing, Buffy," Giles insisted. "You deserve to know. I meant what I said before. If we're going to be together, I want you to know all parts of me, including the part descended from witches."

Buffy's eyes widened. The revelation should have been an obvious one, but it was still an odd phrase to hear. She thought back to her first month in Sunnydale when she and Giles went after Amy's mother. She wished she had known Giles better at the time so he could decipher his reactions and feelings. He must have been in a world of pain. "Y-your mother was a witch?"

"I thought it would be obvious."

Buffy laughed. "Yeah, well…I guess I didn't think of you like that."

Giles grabbed a large volume nearby when had fallen to the ground as a result of the disintegration of his bookshelves. He placed it underneath her crippled foot and scooted himself so he was beside her and took her in his arms. They both leaned against each other in silence for a moment before Giles continued to speak.

"My mother was not like Willow. She has the magic in her blood. She was descended from a long line of witches. She belonged to a powerful coven in Devon who was briefly in the employ of the Watcher's Council. However, both groups began to take very different views on what the term 'employ' meant, and they went their separate ways, but before this happened…"

"She met your dad," Buffy finished. "I can see the Romeo and Juliet story now."

"It was not as much Shakespeare as it was Jane Austin," Giles replied.

"I bet," Buffy said as she snuggled closer. "Does that mean you have the magic in you, too?" The Slayer immediately regretted the question once she felt him stiffen beside her.

"Yes, b-but I suppressed it a long time ago."

Buffy wanted to ask more, like why he suppressed it or why the power came out so strong if he had not been using it. However, his tone cautioned her to be happy with the answer she had. He was becoming uncomfortable beside her, and she detected a hint of sadness in his features. After all he had been through tonight, she would be sad, too.

"So, you want to come to my place and look on the net for some new furniture?"

Giles laughed, diffusing some of the tension. "No. I would rather take you to the ER."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "If I say no, you're going to bug me until I agree with you, right?"

"Of course," Giles said. "I'm offended you even need to ask."

Buffy sighed and nodded. "Let's go."

Giles helped her off the floor and again she winced in pain. She had many other bruises and cuts all over her body she was now noticing, and it was making her want to stay in one spot forever. Giles noticed this, and decided to make another conversation to distract her.

"I'm sorry our romantic evening didn't work out," he said after stepping through the open hole which used to be his front door. "I'm going to have to call Xander and Willow to watch the house."

"Don't…be sorry," Buffy managed. "It was not your fault."

Giles smiled. He knew she meant it. He let his support of her body turn into an awkward embrace and let their bodies mold into each other like two puzzle pieces. Suddenly, he felt something within him. He felt the sudden urge to push her to the floor, rip her clothes off, and have his way with her. While the desire to take her to bed had been sudden, this was like a ton of bricks hitting him in the noggin. He pushed her away immediately, and stared at her with frightened eyes. Buffy nearly fell over before falling against a nearby wall and finding balance with her good foot.

"Giles?" Buffy said, her voice tinged with alarm. "What the hell?"

The desire was gone as quickly as it had came, but the fact that it existed in the first place terrified him. Giles knew he could not be with Buffy until whatever this was had been deciphered. However, he knew there would be no need on his end. He knew exactly what had caused him to dream about raping his love, and it scared the hell out of him.

"Sorry. I-I thought I saw a spider."

"A spider?" Buffy said with one eyebrow raised. "Why do I get the feeling you pulled that out of your ass?"

Giles blushed and attempted to take her weight again. Buffy hesitated. "You're not gonna throw me to the ground this time, are you?"

The unpleasant reminder of his earlier urge made him blush further, but he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Buffy. You can trust me, I swear."

Buffy hesitated, but did end up smiling in silent agreement, and let him take her in his arms.

oOoOo

"Wait. You're not angry?"

Lindsey laughed as he took another sip of his scotch. "That's the problem with you sorcerers; your egos are twice as big as your brains. Did you honestly think we wouldn't have a Plan B? Or was your spell so fool proof nothing could possibly go wrong?"

Ethan sighed and took a long swig of his beer.

"Look at the facts, Ethan. It's not like your spells have not gone wrong before. Thankfully, this Plan B might go better than the first."

"B-but you said the Dark Powers brought Isabelle Giles to you instead of that other vampire for a reason, right? Are you saying it was just a random mistake?"

"It might have been the doing of your deity, Ethan," Lindsey said. "Chaos has a bad habit of messing with us."

"So, your plans with Angel were ruined, but that's okay?"

"Angel's pain will come soon enough. Right now, the Watcher has become more of an interest to me. He can hurt her ten times worse than Angel could have. With him being a vampire, it was expected. However, the Watcher, whose duty it is to protect her and guide her…that's a longer way to fall. The pain she went through when he took her powers away was ten times worse than what she went through with Angel because of this. It is made better by the two being lovers."

"Yes," Ethan said, his mind working to make sense of what he was hearing. "And I'm guessing if Ripper was a vampire, the pain would not be as bad since, like you said, it was expected."

Lindsey nodded. "We thought this was the only way for him to hurt her, but now we know this is not true. Why did you not tell us of his work with the dark arts?"

Ethan gulped. "W-we dabbled when we were together. We only used the magic for…fun. But I had no idea he was going further. I only went further after he left, you see."

"Well, now that Rupert has awakened the beast, his path can only lead one place."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Ethan objected. "Ripper's legit now, and he suppressed it once before. He will hold it back for the woman he loves, and for his duty."

"Then you'll just have to help him along, then," Lindsey said with a smirk. "Mark my words, friend, not only is Ripper coming back, but his work for our side will be legendary."

END

oOoOo

Here are some stories I am currently working on. I would like you guys' opinions on which ones I should pursue. I'm quite ADHD, and I'm a part-time grad student, so I doubt all of these will get published. However, the more encouragement I get, the more likely I will be to work on these projects.

- Right now, I am in the process of writing an AU version of the final battle with Glory, and Buffy's death and resurrection. What makes it an AU? Well, it's B/G for one, and everyone has dӕmons ala the _His Dark Materials _trilogy. Well, everyone except for those without souls. Also, it puts Giles in the role Tara had at the end of season five.

- Apparently I like to cause Giles pain, because another fic I'm working on in a non-con mpreg story. Before you turn away in disgust, please know that I tried to make it as believable as possible within the universe of Buffy. I'm not saying I succeeded – that will be for you guys to decide. Again, it's B/G. It will be a trilogy, and the first part is almost finished. It would be all finished had I not decided to alter a significant part of the plot.

-The sequel to this story is already percolating in my head. Not only will it involve the final words Lindsey said to Ethan, but it will be a crossover with _A Wrinkle in Time_. The darkness will indeed start to take over Giles, and the situation will be similar to that of season 6 Willow, but different in many ways.


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